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By JEFF MAKI
Sirenia's Nine Destinies and a Downfall is as soothing as it is heavy, combining gothic metal riffs and symphonic metal backed by choir elements. New lead vocalist Monika Pederson's (ex-Sinphonia) sirenic and sexy voice guides the listener through a journey of emotions.
With a revolving lineup through two albums released on Napalm Records, Norway's Sirenia is now signed to Nuclear Blast Records. The band was formed in 2000 by Tristiana guitarist/vocalist Morten Velund, and this album marks somewhat of a new direction for the band. The previous releases were led by operatic female vocals in the manner of Leaves Eyes. Pederson's seductive voice is not at all operatic, but more like Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil) or Anneke van Giersbergen (The Gathering).
The opening trio of songs, “The Last Call,” “My Minds Eye” and “One By One,” are exceptionally catchy gothic metal, with soothing choruses--fairly typical examples of the genre. “Sundown” catches the ear with evil backing vocals by Velund, reminding me of the Tristiana days. “Absent Without Leave” features a memorable chorus by Pederson, very pop-oriented, along with nice ambient passages. “The Other Side”'s main riff sounds like material from Lacuna Coil's Comalies. Comparisons also can be made to Within Temptation. Velund lends some clean vocals throughout, particularly strong on “Seven Keys and Nine Doors.” Melody abounds on the album's best song, “Downfall,” which features lyrics like “Life it feels like a frozen winter dream—like a silent scream/Life it feels like a 1000 frozen tears...” Overall, the album's lyrics deal with life, death, love and hate. The production of the album is flawless and crystal clear.
Gothic metal is supposed to hit a chord, something inside of the listener—at least it does for me when performed properly. Though the material may be depressing and not something you would necessarily listen to at a party, the idea is that you feel good after the experience. Good gothic metal is thought provoking, placing images and emotions in your mind and makes me think about various things in my life. It is almost a way of soul searching if you will. Sirenia is great at this in every sense. They have released the best female-fronted goth album in quite some time.
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